


Clearing Up Some Things

by Shorlinne



Category: Dandelion: Wishes Brought to You (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Maybe a little angst, Slice of Life, some spoilers closer to the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shorlinne/pseuds/Shorlinne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jisoo and Heejung clear the air about some things-- A couple of things, actually, like being held too tightly in one way or another. An in-game fic with warnings about emotional/physical abuse, addressing Jisoo's darker side and Heejung's mother issues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clearing Up Some Things

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! S & C here. This is our first Dandelion piece. The two of us were bothered by a certain scene in Jisoo's route, so we asked, "What if she confronted him about it?" Obviously this has spoilers, so if you haven't played his route yet, not a good idea to read it. Read and review if you like, and thank you!

**11/01/2012**

 

3.9.

The number, although it took the tiniest portion of her computer screen, held so much weight. She felt this much dread over such a simple number.

But this number was the most important of all numbers, for it measured how worthy she was both for her future as a business major and for her mother.

Heejung closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. She had hoped that her mother would be pleased seeing her average after mid-terms, but...well.

**_Is this really the best you can do?_ **

A lump started to form in her throat.

**_I spent so much money on you, more than any mother that I know, and this is what you come up with. How could you be such a failure?! My child should never fail; this is not good enough!_ **

_Not good enough...but I tried so hard, Mom._

The email continued to sit there on her computer screen as if mocking her. Heejung shook her head and slammed her laptop closed.

_I’m not good enough. Not good enough for her, and…_

A memory flashed in her mind’s eye: Jisoo grabbing onto her wrist furiously.

 _“Who’s the guy?”_  
_“You know, I am a bit angry right now.”_  
_“I hate liars. You said you don’t have one! Are you kidding with me?!”_  
_“I’ll make you tell me soon.”_

Sadness, guilt, anger...all of these emotions churned deep within her. She swallowed hard again and ignored the slight burning in her eyes.

 _This is all my fault, right? If I was more open, he would’ve never gotten so angry._  
_But grabbing me, not even Mom does that. Dad never did that either!_  
_Maybe I can try to talk a little. ...I hope I can._

Heejung glanced at the clock. It was only 5:30, but the guys were out. Jiwoo was out in the library reading, Jihae and Jieun were away in another one of Jihae’s modeling jobs, and Jiyeon was out on the streets playing with the "fire of love”, as he called it. As for Jisoo, she had no idea.

She sighed and headed to the cabinet.

_Chocolate makes everything better._

* * *

 

Heejung smiled softly as she took the pan of brownies out of the oven. Cooked to perfection, they gave out a delicious smell in the kitchen.

_And with the ice cream in the freezer, this is perfect._

She placed the pan on the counter and wiped her brow before looking at her smartphone.

**3 RECEIVED TEXT MESSAGES**

**5:37 PM: Mom**  
**5:53 PM: Mom**  
**6:04 PM: Mom**

Heejung shook her head again and put her phone down on the counter next to her.

_Mom..._

The sound of keys in the door behind her made Heejung jump, landing just as the door swung open. Muffled through something, a familiar voice came through the doorway;

"Foodgiver!" 

Shuffling into the kitchen were two large paper sacks brimming with what looked suspiciously like snack cakes and beef jerky, with Jisoo's legs beneath them. She could hear him scowling around whatever was in his mouth as he spoke,  
"Where are you? This is important!" He sat the bags down on the counter and took out what he'd been holding with his teeth-- it looked like an aluminum bag with a fish branded on it. Heejung found she wasn't surprised;  
"They make meat strips, already dried you can buy, and--" 

He stopped, catching sight of her at last. Red rimmed eyes, apron covered in flour. His ears fell back and he pointed accusingly,  
"You're not using a recipe from that Rabbit, are you?!" He frowned deeply,  
"Plants don't belong in cakes! I don't care what they do!"

“Wh...Huh? Plants in...what plant?”

Heejung shook her head and wiped her eyes before turning to face the pan of brownies again.

“I baked some brownies. They are kind of like a cake but a bit...thicker?” She mumbled softly, “I like them kind of gooey on the inside. They also have chocolate chips in them.”

She sniffed and looked up at him, trying her best to grin a little.

“A-Actually…” Pausing for a moment to take out a cutting knife, she continued. “I was planning to have a piece. Um. I can make a plate for you while you change out of your day clothes, if you like?” Her voice occasionally wavered a bit, still a bit raw from the little bit of crying she did earlier.

Jisoo squinted in response over the bags, clutching a snack cake in hand. His frown grew more prominent as she spoke, and his brow more knit. Dropping the cake, he stepped forward and ignored the pan-- though he seemed to linger a moment -- and took her phone from the counter with a quick movement.

"Who's bugging you?"

He eyed the device and prodded the screen. That was how these worked, right? He wasn't entirely sure, and it was evident from his constant tapping as he demanded of the phone:  
"Show me! Show me what's bothering her!"

He turned and faced Heejung with a snap, "Turn it on! I'm looking." His eyes narrowed,  
"Tell me it's not that chicken shit."

Heejung became even more confused, her eyes widening a little. It was true that she saw Heejae often in cram school and in the art club...maybe Jisoo smelled him from her clothes again? Shaking her head slowly, she took the phone.

“No, it’s...not that. I’m just stressed a-and…” She placed the phone on the counter for a moment before cutting out a large brownie, lifting it out of the pan and putting it on a plate. Then, she halved that one.

For once, Jisoo was not to be distracted by food. His eyes remained narrow and he moved to take the phone, then seemed to change his mind and took her wrist, instead.  
"Tell me," and this time it wasn't a request, but a low growl edging the back of his throat. Heejung swore she could see the hair along his nape rising, and his ears were back. His grip tightened,

_"Tell me who he is."_

_It’s you._

Gulping, Heejung answered slowly.

“It’s not…” She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pull her arm away, her voice starting to raise a bit higher now in volume. “Not like that! I mean, do have some...troubles but that’s not even the main-- Ow!”

The squeezing hurt. Everything hurt. Gritting her teeth, she continued to pull.

“L-Let go!”

Jisoo held her gaze for a moment, his brow knitting as she babbled on, flushing red, the tears springing back into her eyes. His voice was low, but his grip relaxed significantly, satisfying himself with a loose grasp around her wrist, stroking one hand up towards her palm;  
_“Problems?”_

Heejung nodded, bowing her head low. “There are many parts that add up.” Reaching up another hand to wipe her tears, she added,

“I’ll tell you some things. I...I want to, so...I’m going to get something warm to eat first, okay?” With his grip looser than before, that had to be a good sign, right? She slowly let go and went to the fridge. “Do you mind putting your clothes in the laundry while I serve us?” she asked softly.

Eyeing her suspiciously, Jisoo released her hand and muttered, “Fine. I’ll do that.” With what would have been a flick of his tail, had he still had one, he turned and stalked off, shoulders tight and muscles still visibly tense. Muttering to himself, Heejung could hear him slam the door open to the laundry machine,  
“Problems-- I’ll be problems…” He muttered furiously, between which she could catch bouts of, “Better not be a guy--”  
“Better not be food--”  
A word that made her blush, followed by “Game-- Wizard--”  
Then a beat as he closed the door and switched the clothes to the drier and paused to mutter an angry hello at the houseplant on the deck.

Heejung sighed and brought out two bowls, then two mugs. Preparing dinner was easy enough; she decided to give them both leftover beef stew with cut up green apples inside (added for a sweeter, tarty flavor). With half of the household not able to eat meat, it was best to finish up this type of leftover quickly. She then turned the brew machine on to make chai latte-- one of her favorite hot drinks to have during cold weather when she was a child. The smell of cinnamon comforted her a little and brought her fond memories.

The microwave gave a boop, announcing that the food was heated up.

“Okay…” Heejung spoke softly to herself and opened the microwave door. With quick, practiced motions, she placed the two bowls on the table. A shut of the door, some rattling from the silverware drawer, and everything was mostly set.

Beep-- now the chai latte was finished with the milk having been frothed last.

_I don’t think Jisoo’s had this before...he did say he liked sweet things._

“Laundry’s on the way.” Jisoo shut the door with his hip, balancing the basket in his arms, frowning at the array of strange scarves and-- Whatever-they-weres in the basket. He held up a particularly silky maroon shirt, the cuffs black and the buttons gleaming bronze, and squinted. “This isn’t mine. And it doesn’t look like it’d fit you.”  
He held it up at arm’s length and measured her against it, then sniffed, frowning,  
“No offense, but it looks like it’s made for some long-armed giant. Probably one of the weird Rabbits…” He sniffed, then stopped, all attention drawn away from the warm smells rising from the table. Almost robotically he set the basket down and moved over, sniffing again; his ears swiveled forward as he inhaled deeply, then pointed at the dish accusingly:  
“What’s the green stuff? Rabbit food?”

He squinted at the apples as if they had done him a grave injustice, and prodded at one in her dish, wrinkling his nose.

“Oh. Um.” Heejung looked away, blushing slightly. “Green apples.” She furrowed her brow and looked over at Jisoo again. “You can push them to the side; I just wanted to try something a little different.”

She took a couple of bites and chewed slowly, trying to get her thoughts organized. With a deep sigh, she put down her fork and took a sip of her latte.

“How to begin this…” Heejung spoke softly and looked down at her lap before continuing, a little hesitant.

“Ever since I was little, I was raised with...really high expectations from my parents. I’m not sure how school works where you come from, um…” She looked up at him, trying to search for the right words to continue.

“But the two of them always wanted me to do well in school. It’s not a bad thing, of course, but...that’s how it started.”

“I see.” Jisoo settled into the chair across from her and moved his fork around the shallow bowl, watching her carefully. At the mention of parents he tensed slightly, but she seemed to not notice-- In any case, she didn’t remark on it. Her mind was elsewhere, as she continued, and he chewed on a piece of meat thoughtfully.  
Swallowing, he pointed his fork at her;  
“What started?”

“Their…” Heejung paused, again stuck on what to say. She only just started, and already this was proving to be difficult. This was only being a little open, and yet the rawness and nakedness she could feel was overwhelming.

She wanted to go back to her metaphorical hermit crab shell, what she was used to.

_Then they divorced…and Mom changed._

“Something...switched in Mom.” she closed her eyes. “Something changed, and she became more strict starting with my schoolwork. Dad did as well, but not as much.” Heejung opened her eyes and gazed at Jisoo for a moment before stirring her fork in her stew. “Gradually I had to spend less time with friends in order to work harder so I can please my parents, to score at least 85%, then 90%...the grade needed in order to make Mom smile kept on going up. I did it all to make her smile.”

Heejung let out a shaky sigh and stared down at her stew again. “There were other things expected as well not just at home, but from my friends, this society...everyone. If I don’t fit those standards, I’m…”

Balling her napkin in her hands, she kept staring down at her stew. “I-I don’t want to disappoint anyone, but I keep...I-I keep falling short.” Her voice cracked again as she got up to get her phone from the counter. Pressing the button on the side, her screen lit up to show even more text notifications from her mother.

“I showed Mom my mid-term scores. She...wasn’t too happy about it.” Heejung slid her phone across the table to Jisoo, keeping the screen on her phone lit so he can see.

Jisoo stiffened slightly in the chair and leaned forward, his lips drawn in a thin line and brow knit. A knot had settled in his stomach, but he squared his shoulders and determined to not let it show through as he took the phone from her hand. He was still clumsy with the technology, but he got the gist of it as he pressed his finger down to move the screen and his eyes scanned the numbers. It looked like everything was scaled from 100 here-- and he noticed she’d scored reasonably high in most all of her subjects.  
Carefully, he spoke, chewing over the words on his mind for only a second. He didn't want to seem to be deliberately delaying her, after all:  
“Well- it looks to me like-- I mean, they can't expect people to actually score the full one hundred, can they?”  
He looked up and gestured, “Because it's learning! You can't just get it all right the first time. That's absurd. It's-” he set the phone back down and folded his arms with a frown,  
“It's a process. Like cooking. You don't just have a food. It has to be made.”

Then, lowly, so that she may not have heard: “I don't think I like the way your mother acts.”

Heejung sighed and nodded slowly, looking down at her now empty bowl. Everything Jisoo said made complete sense. After all, she was only human; she wasn’t a machine who could get it right on the first go. She smiled shakily and stood up slowly, then picked up her bowl. While heading toward the dishwasher to put it away, she finally spoke up.

“She does, though...” Heejung started in a mumble. She opened up the dishwasher and placed her bowl and fork inside. “I wish she sees it like you do. You’re...you’re the only one so far who...gets it.”

Shutting the dishwasher closed, she continued. “But it’s only for a little while longer. I can make it...I think.”

_Until graduation, and then what will I do?_

Heejung turned and walked back to the table and picked up her mug of chai latte. Good, still warm. She had one foot forward, hesitant to move to the sofa to sit. It seemed natural to want to go there next instead of staying at the table; sitting across the table felt a little awkward right now.

Jisoo watched her carefully and sat up slowly now, unrolling his shoulders. His dish had been wiped clean by greedy fingers, but his hands, hunched over the table betrayed no sign of it. His eyes narrowed and flickered across her, watching how she moved. Carefully, he exhaled, and shut his eyes, leaning back. He nodded, and it was almost dismissive in its causality;  
“You should be fine.”  
One eye peeked open, and a slow smile twitched his mouth--  
“After all, you’ve got other stuff you can do. Right? Like-” He licked his lips, “Your art. It’s really good.”

“Thank you.”

The reply was soft and weak. The feelings it gave her were terribly confusing; on one hand there was warmth and butterflies, but those same butterflies felt sharp and cold. Heejung looked down at her mug.

“Jisoo, I...there’s still something that’s...important.”

Heejung faltered, hugging the mug close to her chest.

His gaze lifted and he caught her eye for a moment before he pushed the chair back from the table. The noise of the spindly legs across linoleum was troublesome, and his ears flickered from the sound, but he moved towards her with determination.  
Leaning against the counter next to her, his hand lingering beside her elbow, he moved his spare hand to lift her chin:  
“Tell me.”

Heejung looked away, blushing slightly. His fingers felt very warm, almost hot; she blamed it on the warmed up bowl of stew he made contact with earlier.

“I’m actually...not mad that you jumped to conclusions that night.” She looked down at the floor. “I mean, you-- we know very limited information about each other, so it’s only natural to...t-try to connect the dots?”

Heejung took a deep breath and tried to look up into his eyes again. “But...Jisoo, that...that _hurt.”_

Jisoo raised his brows, and let his hand down carefully. She was looking at him now, her pulse starting to race, and each thrum of her heartbeat caused his ears to twitch ever-so-microscopically. Had she not been staring into his eyes, she might have noticed, but he only nodded once, and murmured,  
“What did?”

Heejung swallowed hard. Here it comes, the drop on the rollercoaster.

“You...when you grabbed me.” She squeezed her eyes shut.

“What...w-what gave you the right to...I mean, why did you do that when I technically didn’t do anything to warrant...that?!” Heejung’s voice started to shake more and she opened her eyes. “If I...okay, if I was going to, for example...attack you in some way and you needed to stop me, or, m-maybe...I don’t know, hold me back from something, that’s okay! But that night, I wasn’t even doing anything to you, s-so…” Her vision blurred. “I wasn’t doing anything, and I...I-I don’t think you’d do this to anyone else so _why_ am I the exception?!”

Heejung’s voice now was close to sobs. “I a-almost didn’t want to talk to you after that, honestly, but I can’t do that. Y-You mean too much to me and you deserve to know _something_ …”

She now started to mumble. “This is why I hate confronting people. I don’t want to upset them...you know?”

_But what if I ruined what we have?_

Her blood ran cold at the thought, and she froze.

 _“Do not talk to me right now.”_  
_Heejung’s mother snapped and turned her back toward her daughter. “It is a simple waste of my time!”_  
_“But Mom…”  
_ _Her soft protest fell to unlistening ears while her mother clicked away in her high heels._

Silence. Being ignored despite trying to say her piece. Being given the cold shoulder, all leaving her helpless and swallowed in guilt she didn’t deserve to have.

It worked every time, and Heejung’s mother knew it.

_Please don’t happen, please!_

Heejung clutched onto her mug tighter and walked toward the couch, shoulders shaking. She unsteadily placed it down on the little glass table in front of it before sitting down and picking it back up again to hold in her lap.

_Don’t cry. Stare at the carpet and don’t cry._

Jisoo sat for a moment, stunned into silence. His hand ached as he flushed slowly with the dread of realization. He stared at the space she occupied for a moment without quite seeing her clearly.  
He started:  
“I-” and his voice faltered. He swallowed hard and looked away pointedly, brows drawn. He shook his head once, shutting his mouth. He was at a loss for words, and too proud to apologize.  
Instead he pushed himself up and towards her, and brushed her hair from her face, his thumb raking her cheekbones gently despite the callouses ridging the underside of his hands, working away her tears.  
He leaned in briefly and brushed his lips against hers, then pulled back--

And without another word, he swept from the room with his thoughts crowded.

“Wh--?”

Heejung stared at his back breathless. The first part when he was brushing her face, when she felt his fingers gently hit one of the butterfly earrings he gave her behind her hair, it left her in a daze. Each touch was soft, pushing away each tear.

The brushing of lips, however, brought her back to Earth.

“J-Jisoo...Jisoo, wait!”

She got up quickly and ran after him, leaving her cup of chai unattended. Heejung timidly reached out to grab one of his hands and squeezed it gently, trying to be reassuring. Her words came out slowly as she tried to work through her spinning mind, her voice soft.

“You...um…” She fumbled, her face red. “That...” Words failed to come to mind. Giving up on that point, she let out a sigh and smiled warmly. 

“...Can I clear up some other things? I don’t want there to be another misunderstanding.” Heejung’s nerves kicked in once again, and she gulped.

_Just don’t leave. That’s all I ask._

Jisoo's shoulders squared and he turned slowly to look at her, his frown prominent. It softened as she took his hand and he relaxed slightly, but murmured,  
“What is it, Heejung?”

Heejung looked over at her bedroom door, then into Jisoo’s eyes. Hesitantly, she ventured,

“We can continue here…?”

She rubbed her thumb against his glove before letting go and opening her bedroom door. Books were missing from the shelves; Jiwoo borrowed some of her romance novels, no doubt. Despite that, everything else about her room was orderly: her art supplies were organized neatly on her desk, business books stood tall on the shelves, and her bed was neatly made.

Heejung walked over slowly and sat down on the bed before scooting over, giving him space to sit down next to her. Looking down at the floor, she took a deep breath.

Leading the conversation definitely felt strange.

“About that night, um...There isn’t anyone.” She pressed her lips together, struggling on what words to pick. “Any guy, I mean.” Her gaze moved to her hands. “I never, well...experienced...anything of those things before.”

Silence followed, and Heejung bowed her head low, her face burning. The sentence she left floating between them felt so pathetic. All of middle school, high school, and most of college _without a single guy_ in her life in some way? It simply wasn’t “the norm” anymore. She wasn’t sure what it was like where Jisoo came from, but if she had to guess from what Jiyeon said and how he acted in the past, it was probably the same way, perhaps even more so.

A girl alone. With no guy. For that long.

The odds seemed to be against her.

Jisoo hesitated in the doorway-- this had not been the invitation he had expected. Tensing slightly he watched her for a long moment before following her lead. The room was faintly warm and smelled of her perfume, distant-- he hadn't seen her wear it often but it followed her like a cloaking trail.

The long silence set his ears twitching, searching for a signal beneath the steady nervousness of her breath and the low thrum of her heart. His hands clenched and unclenched, but he relaxed immediately as she sat: there was a pattern he could follow here. He watched her pat the seat beside her and then lowered himself--  
“Never, huh?”  
Not beside her, but in front of her. Had he had a tail it'd have curled around his lap and flickered with the trace of his thin smile.

Studying her for a moment he considered the weight of her words. Never with-- anyone?  
He couldn't fathom it. Perhaps she hadn't found anyone worthy of her. Well. He could fix that.

He shrugged and leaned back, his kitty cat grin circling beneath his bangs as he offered, perhaps a tad too casually:  
“Would you like to?”

“Like to...what?”

Heejung’s eyes widened a little bit. That grin, those slanted eyes...they all added up to something, but the meaning of it completely slipped her grasp.

“Do you mean...experience that with someone one day?”

She gulped and looked down at her hands. “If I knew what caring for someone that way felt like, what it feels like beyond a crush...then yes.” She blushed heavily and looked away, facing the wall.

“But I can only guess.” Heejung rubbed her arm. “Nights of thinking about this hasn’t helped much.”

“No kidding,” muttered Jisoo. Then, with what was almost a violent surge of clarity as her words fell into place, confirming unspoken suspicions he looked up, ears snapping forward and brow knitting for what seemed the upteenth time,  
“Wait. So there _is_ a crush?!”  
He stood suddenly- a poor idea since one leg had fallen asleep. Lurching slightly he scowled,  
“Who is it?!”

Heejung reeled back, surprised at his sudden outburst. She opened her mouth slightly, struggling to find the words to use. When a name was asked, she paled.

“I...I don’t _know_! I don’t know what this even _is_!”

She gripped onto the sheets, her heart pounding.

“I found out this existed only a couple of weeks ago, so, I mean-- how can I even say a name?! I can’t!” Heejung’s shoulders drooped and she bowed her head.

“This is...this is too big. I don’t think I can tell _anyone_...for many reasons.” she finished in a mumble.

Jisoo stood there a beat, feeling awkward. He cleared his throat, and looked away, his temper stalking his features like shadows drawn. He murmured perhaps a bit brusquely,  
“Well-- if you figure it out, let the _rest of us know_.”

“It’s...pointless to.”

Before Heejung could stop herself, her next sentence flowed out:  
“It’s pointless, because he wouldn’t like me that way and he told me so; I’m not his type.”

That sent the room into silence very much like a loud thunderclap.

There. She said it. Heejung felt her throat tighten when a certain conversation came to mind:

 _“Stupid cat. She’s saying that things like $#% &* and @$%$ might happen if we live together.”_  
_“What?!”_  
_“Eddie...what’s $#% &* and @$%$?”_  
_“Well, that’s--”_  
_“W-wait!”_  
_“Hey, you don’t have to worry about things like $#% &* and @$%$.” Crossing his arms, he continued,_  
_“You’re not my type at all, so don’t worry! Hahaha!”_

At first, it didn’t really matter. But now, after realizing it several weeks later, it hurt like hell.

Slowly, what was said sunk into Heejung’s mind, and her hands started to shake.

_If he finds out and leaves...please don’t!_

Images of Jisoo leaving the room, leaving for good, flooded her mind.

_Please don’t let what we have end._

The silence was palpable between them as Jisoo let his hands brush the doorframe, lingering between spaces. He cleared his throat, then announced airily:  
“Well! Then-- then maybe they don't know what they're missing.”

Heejung sighed and looked down at her lap. “I-I guess.” Swallowing hard, she continued to look down at her shaking hands.<br/ > Tentatively, she added,

“When I first met him, I was...intimidated. Not scared, but I was shocked.” She forced a sheepish smile and fiddled with her dress skirt, to try to steady her hands. Who _wouldn’t_ , after being pinned down on a bed by an unknown guy her age?

To soften the conversation, she continued, “But the first thing I noticed was that he has very beautiful eyes.” Blushing more, she closed her own eyes. “I know that sounds cheesy... But he has such a beautiful light in his eyes, a warmth. If people didn’t judge him so much, they’d see it too.”

_People being the rabbits...Jihae specifically. Come to think of it, he attacked Jisoo a lot in more than one occasion. I'm sure there's a good reason, but..._

Jisoo's brows lifted and his lips twitched as he turned back to glance her over, arms folding.  
“Oh?” He murmured, “I see. Does he still…?”  
He waved a hand, “ _Scare_ you?”

Heejung opened her eyes and slowly smoothed her dress skirt, continuing to look downward.

“Not really, no.”

 _But nervous? A little bit._  

There was no denying it; Jisoo is very good-looking. However, he was harder to approach at first compared to other guys. When they changed back to their human forms, Heejung couldn’t help but stare both in awe and slightly nervous at his strong, fit figure for a few days after. It wasn’t entirely due to attraction, but it was more in shock as she kept thinking:

 _This is my cat. This is really the cat I bathed sometimes and that I allowed to look at me naked in my room while I got ready for the day. This is really Jisoo. ...Oh god,_ why _did I do that?_

No wonder the cat always had such a mischievous grin on his face while laying on her bed some mornings.

Interaction for a week or so after the spell broke was rather awkward, but weekend outings quickly broke the ice. Things quickly came back to normal, but eventually she felt something shift inside her. A casual friendship changed to something else warmer and stable, deeper even. It wasn’t like the butterfly-in-your-stomach feeling you’d see love-sick teenagers in movies gush about and only that; there was a weird mix, and it only confused her more and more.

Shifting a bit, she leaned her back against one of the comforter pillows on her bed.

“If anything, he makes me feel more free, less boxed in.” Heejung smiled softly. Warmth started to grow, like she was being wrapped in a blanket. “It’s like... I can finally breathe for once.”

_W-Wait._

The warmth suddenly left.

_Why am I telling him this much?!_

Heejung felt the blood drain from her face.

Jisoo hesitated, tracing her face with his eyes, lingering faintly with a brief smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His brows were up and his shoulders relaxed slightly as he exhaled,

“Oh. Well--” He cleared his throat, ears retreating down, “That’s--”  
He faltered for a minute. What was it, really? Was it _good_? The realization that there were so many walls between them-- Never mind the damn game, the damn wizard, the damned nature of everything set against him in this strange world with wonderful people, a wonderful foodgiver--  
  
_Friend. Perhaps--_  
  
He let the word out with care and hunched his shoulders again, hugging his arms lightly as he glanced away, a pale flush rising to his cheeks he hoped she hadn’t noticed:  
“That’s good, isn’t it?” His head tilted and he tried to let himself relax as he let out a shaky laugh,  
“No one needs to be boxed in forever. You’ve got too much to give the world, foodgiver!” His eyes lit up and he grinned with a roguish wink, “Especially me.”

Heejung smiled softly and let out a laugh, feeling some tension leave her. She exhaled and looked up at him with slightly pink cheeks.

“Ah...but…”

She looked down at her dress and fiddled with the edge.

“One reason I’ve been so…”

_Hesitant? Cautious?_

Heejung furrowed her brow. “Nervous about this is because I’m afraid of my reasons being dumb...reasons for liking someone.” She shrugged a shoulder helplessly. “I mean...I don’t want it to be for a reason that’s not fair to him...if...that makes sense?”

She blushed more, feeling more stupid every moment. But, she tried to push on. “If the reason is shallow or not a good one, well, that’d be...I don’t know.”

Jisoo eyed her a moment, then relaxed with a soft smile. He shrugged his shoulders and held her gaze for a minute, before laughing softly,  
“Well, they’re your reasons, right?” He nodded, as if to affirm this,  
“That’s all the reason they need to be, I think.”

Heejung’s eyes widened.

_So no reason is dumb? It’s okay?_

She allowed her shoulders to drop in relief.

“That’s...I’m glad.”

There was a pause while she tried to gather her thoughts together. What was the right thing to do here? Clearly, it wasn’t good to not explain anything, to leave him in the dark.

_Maybe...maybe I should try to explain a little? I did promise to, after all._

She looked up briefly, biting her lip.

_I definitely know what this feels like, to feel lost and not understand._

Heejung closed her eyes and sighed. If she looked at him right now, she knew she’d lose what little courage she had.

Breathe in, breathe out.

She began slowly, phrasing her sentences as she went along.

“The beauty in his eyes I was talking about, it...literally shines throughout his character. Not that his eyes don’t look beautiful, because they do! I just...I see the beauty of his heart in his eyes.” She paused a moment to open her eyes and take a deep breath. After placing her slightly shaking hands on her lap, she continued.

“He’s always there, loyal to the end, and I find that one of the greatest things about him. When I feel awful, he’s there, listening.”  
Even while he was a cat, Jisoo was always there by Heejung’s side. Those constant nights staying by her side after she woke up crying from a nightmare, purring softly until she went back to sleep. When her menstrual cramps were absolutely horrible, he served as a heating pad, somehow knowing she was in pain when nobody else did. After changing back to his true form, he told her after realizing she was ill, “If seeing me like this makes you feel sick, I’ll go ahead and change back into a cat." Jisoo’s support only increased when the spell broke. Encouraging her to pursue art, trying to talk to her to try to help solve her problems, simply being there in case she needed the help and offering it was huge.  
Each little moment made all the difference, and Heejung showed her thanks by either: giving him an extra Yum-Yum Snack or small, safe piece of her own food (when he was a cat) or they’d go to a place of his choosing to do whatever he wanted once he changed to his true form.

“I love it when he asks me questions, his drive to learn things.”  
Not only was he curious about the world around him, particularly other foods, he’d ask questions about her such as what subjects she was learning, her favorite book, all of these other facts about her. This is the first person who truly wanted to know about Heejung for who she was, not brush her off to the side like her mother did so often.

“His bravery and willingness to face things head-on is something I truly admire. ...I wish I can be like that.”

Heejung bowed her head and looked down at the comforter. “Sure, he’s not perfect, but...who is?” She traced the pattern on the comforter; the motion didn't stop her hands from shaking. “I’m not perfect either, so I don’t expect him to be perfect. How can I, as flawed as I am?” she smoothed the wrinkles.

_Moody. Jumps to conclusions...but the good overwhelms both of those things by so much._

“Which is why...it’s okay, you know? It’s okay that he doesn’t like me that way. A-All...All that matters to me is what can I do to support him, to make him happy and to help him achieve his goals. And, well...I’m honored to be his friend...so...it’s okay.” Heejung ran her hands through her hair. Her fingers hit her earrings softly, causing the little butterfly on the hoop to swing slightly.

_I’m honored to be your friend because you have gifted me with so much, including these._

Heejung never really considered herself to love jewelry that much. Her mother always tried to get her to wear big, clunky expensive pieces while growing up, but she never liked it. Oh, she’d wear them to please her, of course, but she always hated how heavy they felt. They...weren’t her.

Jisoo gave her these earrings in his cat form, and Heejung rarely took them off. The only times she didn't wear them either in the shower or when she was asleep for the night. They stayed on every day of the week, most hours of the day. Sometimes she’d forget and fall asleep with them on; they were that light.

Sometimes she’d spin around while dressing up in her room, feeling pretty with them on.

_So it’s okay. This situation itself is weird, anyway._

Heejung thought that after experiencing this summer, she would be prepared for all weird things thrown at her way. But feeling something for someone who used to be your pet? It wasn’t something that would normally happen, even for her.

 _I know it’s nothing personal. I know. I don’t fit that mold, and we’re...I’m not even the same speci--_ She cut herself off mentally and changed the tone of that thought; it sounded terrible.

_...I don’t have ears like you do._

And besides, Jisoo would find the situation really weird too.

Heejung sighed and allowed her hair to fall over her ears, now feeling very self-conscious. She continued to look away and stared at the foot of the bed.

If it is okay, why did saying that hurt? Why did this all hurt?

Her heart throbbed painfully.

“He should be just as honored.” Jisoo watched her, his eyes following the sway of the earrings, causing his heart to lurch slightly. She couldn’t mean-- Could she? And yet, the way her hands traced them and fell back to her lap, the avoidance of her eyes…  
He moved in carefully, and settled next to her, continuing with great care,  
“And maybe-- Maybe he’s just as glad for your friendship. I hope he is.” He caught himself fighting the urge to glance at her, but looked away carefully,  
“And I’m sure he wants you to be happy too.”  
There was a beat, then an added softness to his voice as he looked at her at last, eyes warm, 

“I would.”

Heejung’s hands trembled more, and she swallowed hard. Looking up slowly, she took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.

Two beautiful golden eyes, like candle flames. Soft, gently shining and showing her the way.

“J-Jisoo,”

She fidgeted, trying to decide on what to do next. Finally exhaling, she scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder, taking care to wrap her arms gently around his shoulders, to not alarm him.

“...Thank you.” she mumbled softly, burying her face into his sweatshirt. Her face burned, and her heart raced. Feeling his shoulders against her arms, it was…

_!!!_

Heejung was doomed.

Jisoo’s grin lit his face slowly, then simmered down as he relaxed, wrapping her in his arms. This wasn’t too bad; he’d worry about this other guy later. Clearly, he held no candle to whatever was happening between them now--  
_Even if I dared to think it were--- Me--_ He let his worries melt away then as she murmured his name, and his ears swiveled her way. His brows rose and his lips met in a slow smile, as he shrugged into the embrace and held her close.  
“Yeah?”  
He tried not to sound too cocky about it---  
He failed.

Heejung blushed more, buried her face in more...it was getting so much worse, but she never felt so warm and safe in her entire life.

Meanwhile her heart was acting like she was running a marathon.

Maybe, in an emotional sense, she was.

“Can...Can I ask you a question?” she asked timidly, not moving from his hold.

Her heart was hammering and if he hadn’t heard it, the blood pulsing in his ears and matching the slowly rising staccato beat of his own, he wouldn’t have been as sure. Instead, he moved his head downward, brushing his lips against her crown and murmuring above her, voice low,  
“Yes. You can ask me any.”  
One hand rifled up to brush her shoulders and back, rubbing in a lazy circle. The other twitched at his side, and the impulse to scratch where her ears would have been had she been-- Well, like him-- was strong, but they drummed into the bed instead, knotting themselves against the plush fabric of her bed spread.

Heejung moved her head slightly so she could look up into his face-- mumbling into his sweatshirt was not the best thing for this. This, however, gave her no shield to hide her fierce blushing with, and it gave her pause.

“I...wait, no.” She bowed her head low. “Well it’s…”

Biting her lip slightly, she slowly continued on.

“The thing is that...I was hesitant to ask this since all of you changed back, because I didn’t...want to be thought of as weird. The problem is that it is going to sound weird.”

Heejung shook her head slightly and looked up into Jisoo’s eyes. “I...um...you know how you let me pet you all the time when you were a cat, right?”

Jisoo’s eyebrows raised even higher-- She seemed to have that effect on him. He let out a slow chuckle and if he was embarrassed, he hid it well:  
“Yeah-- What about it?”

“I...pet you on the ears a lot back then.” Heejung started to smile slightly. “But...back as a cat, you had no way of even saying yes or no to me doing that, no way of...giving the okay. I feel really bad.” Her smile faded, and she looked up at his ears. They are indeed the same as they are in his cat form: slightly pointed at the ends, pure black fur.

“If...if it’s okay, can I touch them now? I’ve always wanted to, but…” She blushed even further. “See, this is why I said it was going to sound weird; I didn’t want to weird you out with this!” Heejung closed her eyes and tried to hide her reddening face.

His grin lit up and he laughed huskily, moving his hands back and spreading his arms wide, a look of dull amusement and contentment across his features as he purred, sinking down,  
“By all means-- Be my guest. It’s a nice feeling.”  
He lifted his eyes and saw hers closed, then gently took her chin and murmured, “Don’t be embarrassed. I’d do the same for you, if you asked.”

Heejung opened one eye slowly and peered into his face.

_He...he said yes._

Dumbfounded, she opened her other eye and nodded slowly.

“Ah...okay. Good…” she sighed in relief and smiled softly, gingerly lifting up a hand. “But,” her smile faded slightly. “Please let me know if I hurt you or make contact in a way I shouldn’t. Not that I had this problem before, but I don’t want to do anything that’d cause discomfort.”

She blushed further and looked down at his ears, watching them move.

_Jisoo’s been so great to me overall. And...well...I hope this shows enough respect…_

Jisoo slumped back slightly and shut his eyes, ear swiveling in her direction as he grinned,  
“No worries, kid. I’ll tell you just how I’m fee--” He was cut off with a contented groan as her hands reached up tentatively behind one ear, and he sunk lower down, a low hum in the depths of his throat rising up, cutting off speech as his eyes shut. He relaxed involuntarily and exhaled thickly, hands knotting against the blankets as he managed, rasping,  
“That--- That’s nice.”

Kid.

Heejung was almost about to frown. Almost. At least it wasn’t said with a negative intention, and that’s what stopped the frown from forming.

She nodded and hesitantly started to scratch his one ear, trying to find a good rhythm for her fingers. In one sense, it felt so weird, running her fingers through her best friend’s hair and doing this. On the other, though...it was so familiar, feeling his ears twitch against her fingers and the soft, short fur against her fingertips.

She let out a soft exhale in awe as she listened, smiling. With her left hand, Heejung gently placed her palm onto his throat to feel the vibrations.

“Do you want me to stop?” she asked softly.

“A-aaaabsolutely not,” He grumbled, perhaps a little too self-satisfied as he purred against her, and opened one lazy eye to grin. Winking, he butted his head against her palm,  
“It’s really nice-- Not sure I can explain.”

Heejung shook her head and laughed softly. “You don’t have to!” She beamed and continued, “You look like you’re in bliss...in complete bliss.” Her shoulders and back started to relax; all of the tension from earlier was now completely gone. She continued to scratch with both hands once again. “And...well...that’s enough for me. No words are needed.”

To be fair, though, she wasn’t sure how long her fingers were going to be able to keep this up. Heejung looked down at Jisoo with soft eyes and spoke gently,

“This does mean a lot though...all of this. Being able to talk to you and...I feel a lot better now. Thank you so much.”

Now she had to slow her scratching to a stop. Her fingers were starting to ache; surely he’d understand.

Jisoo nodded mutely and smiled warmly, leaning into her slightly. As her fingers eased up his ears fell back, and he murmured,  
“Are you kidding? Thank you. You’re good at-- Talking too. And--” He seemed stumped for words, then laughed, “And this, too.”

Heejung blushed and lowered her hand before smiling slightly. Looking into his eyes, she nodded.

“You’re welcome. Any...anytime.”

She then turned to look at her clock on her bedside table before turning to look at Jisoo. “Do you want to watch TV with me while waiting for the others to come home? I need to shower first, but...you know how I always wait for everyone to be home and safe before turning in. You can even choose the channel; I don’t mind whatever we watch.”

Jisoo’s eyes opened and he glanced at her. He thought about this for a moment, then rolled his shoulders in a shrug, pulling his arms back to stretch. Through his yawn he managed,  
“Nah-- You choose. I’m good with whatever.”  
There was a beat before he added, “Unless it’s Iron Chef. Then we watch Iron Chef.”

Heejung’s smile grew. “That sounds fine-- maybe if there’s an interesting dish idea, I can take note of it.” Nodding, she moved toward her dresser to get pajamas.

“I’ll meet you shortly, okay?”

* * *

 

Her shower was relaxing but kept brief; Heejung didn’t want to keep him waiting. Before sitting down to watch with him, she made him some dessert: a bowl of a big, vanilla ice cream scoop, two big brownie triangles at the top of the scoop, and a face drawn on the ice cream scoop in chocolate syrup. An ice-cream brownie cat, she called it.

Everything felt right with the company she had, her chai latte, and all of her stresses gone. Finally, Heejung could breathe. Normally she would be biting her nails on how late Jiyeon was; the younger cat often stayed out late, brought home a ton of money from some unknown source or other super nice things she knew he wouldn’t be able to get so quickly in normal means. Honestly, it was yet another source of stress for her.

But tonight, Heejung had someone to pass the time with, and that made things a lot better for her.

Maybe it was because of the hot water from the shower, or maybe it was from opening up so much it left her drained...or maybe a long day of school and art club...but she felt her eyelids slowly get heavier and heavier. Without thinking, Heejung slid down the back of the sofa and slowly laid her head down, not particularly taking notice where her head landed; she was too tired to care.

Wherever it did land, it was warm and comforting.

_I should wait longer...but...maybe Jisoo would be okay with me taking a small break. Five minutes..._

Before she knew it, Heejung dozed off into a deep sleep.

Jisoo blinked-- He’d been absorbed in the unique nature of the week’s secret ingredient, which for some reason was some form of butter, and had been distracted through the commercials eating more than his share of their dessert. She’d been quiet while he explained why they definitely, absolutely needed space bags for the apartment, interrupting him only to tell him how badly clothes would wrinkle inside compressed spaces like that, and after the commercials had ended he’d zoned back out into the world of fluffy flourless pancakes and beef steaks…  
And then, her head had been in his lap. He had startled slightly, looking down, but she was already heavy-lidded and her breath light. Her hands were wrapped in loose fists, cupped on his knees and she seemed to curl in, moving herself closer.

Jisoo straightened slightly, and hovered his hand over her, the glow of the television and the lights of the countdown to the end of the contest washing over them, but he was torn away from that now. His breath caught in his throat and he let it out shakily, voice soft,  
“Heejung..?”

She didn’t respond, and he sighed, a smile curving at his lips. She would fall asleep on him after all...That. Carefully, he settled his hand down, and ran it over her hair, brushing it from her face. She looked so soft in the dim light, and so peaceful--  
He wished he could see it always. Between the last few weeks of stress and school, she’d barely had time to lift a brush, never mind to feed him and the others and take care of herself _well_.

He’d tried, really, but it wasn’t something he was good at-- Money in this world was hard to come by and he didn’t feel right returning to old habits and old ways. He didn’t need to steal here--  
So, with odd jobs-- Moving boxes, unpacking trucks, taking errands -- He’d managed a little. He left her a tin of tuna one evening, and put some food in the fridge the next-- He knew she wouldn’t remember forgetting the shopping. She’d had an exam, things were tight, after all.  
And when her mother had called-- Not today, but a week before, and she’d closed up and he could feel the panic rushing from her in waves and waves, like drowning on land…

His ears stiffened and he bit back a frown. No one should make her feel that way.

 _You haven’t been much better either, have you? That wizard was right._  
_You’re fit to love no one._

Lily floated in his mind’s eye: He’d loved her, and look how well he’d done with that. Selling everything out just for a chance-- And she deserved so much better.

His hand strayed on Heejung’s hair as he looked down at her, and let out a shaky breath: Didn’t she, too? Of all people she’d let him stay and taken care of him, and fed him, and tried to keep him safe, and he barely returned the favor. Maybe she was right to like someone else.

Maybe he oughtn’t get his hopes up.

 _“Lily, what are you doing out of bed?”_  
_“I’m fine! Look- I can walk across the room a-and--”_  
_“Lily, we’ve talked about this! You- You have to rest--”_  
_“I’m fine, Big Brother! Look, look at what I can do--”_  
_She’d come at him, her arms open and her eyes bright, her smile wide. His heart had dropped as her legs, far too thin, stumbled precariously-- He’d caught her in his arms and she’d laughed,_  
_“See? I’m getting better.”_  
_When he’d run his hands through her hair, his throat caught. How thin it had gotten, how quickly it came away in his hands. She was so small, so bright-- Her eyes like embers, refusing to dim._  
_“Of course you are.”_

_Of course, she hadn’t._

_Winter had come as furious as wolves, and with the seasons tighter and crops dying, the rabbits holed up in their bright towering palaces and the cats forced to the streets, ice scraping at his feet through thin, ineffective boots, Jisoo had come to a conclusion. Lily’s coughing had begun the night before and had not ceased, rattling and thick-- She woke up drenched in sweat while Jisoo struggled to feed a dying fire in a home where ice was warping the walls, calling for their parents, begging him not to leave. She couldn’t keep down the thin soup, and tossed and turned until he’d held her for hours, his arms numb with rocking, lips going blue as he tried--  
He’d been desperate. He’d had to do something. He couldn’t lose her._

**_Now what sort of game are you playing, Cat? Dishonest as they say we are, aren’t we, trying to keep her safe and well and knowing you’ll go if you do._ **

Heejung barely stirred in his lap, as he leaned back into the couch, his hand tangled in her hair and his eyes cast to the ceiling.  
He was in too far, now.

“Heejung! Heejung!”

The door swung wide open and almost slammed against the wall. Well.

“You stupid cat! Could you not be so loud?!” Jiwoo snapped, his voice carrying across the room.

“But it’s only eight! Not time to turn in yet!” Jiyeon bounced in looking as cheerful as ever. The spotted rabbit groaned and shook his head slowly before walking in behind him. Looking up, he raised a brow at both Jisoo and the sleeping Heejung. He would facepalm, but his arms are too full of Heejung’s books to do that.

“Tsk.”

He turned up his nose and continued to Heejung’s room.

“Eddie…”

Jieun peeked in next and glanced over at Jisoo. He gave the cat a small, knowing smile before turning to look over at Jihae.

“Apple.”

The royal knight was not pleased.

“Uh.”  
Jisoo frowned, most pointedly at Jieun and his smug, knowing look, then scowled outright at Jiyeon, raising his spare hand and shushing them loudly, gesturing to Heejung with a hiss,  
“She’s _asleep_. Can you morons not keep it down for five minutes?!”

Jihae stared at Jisoo coldly for a moment, choosing not to say a word. That cat...surely he was treating Milady inappropriately while they were all gone. He sighed softly and turned to Jieun.

“As you wish, Master.” he whispered and strode to the kitchen rather majestically.

Jieun nodded and his face took back onto its usual blank quality before heading to the kitchen table.

“Oooh!” Jiyeon mouthed an o and looked over at the sleeping Heejung. Lowering to a stage whisper, he continued, “She looks so cute asleep!”

Jiwoo at this point returned and rolled his eyes before poofing into a rabbit. The small, spotted rabbit hopped across the living room and toward the outside patio for some peace and quiet.

Finally.

If one listened carefully, they could still hear tiny little chits and grumbles near the washing machine.

Jisoo’s eyes followed Jiwoo carefully, but returned to Jiyeon’s in a steady glare. He removed his hand from her hair and placed it on her back, voice lowering grimly, eyes narrowed,  
“And if you so much as disturb a hair on her head I’ll rip _ten_ of yours off to compensate. Let her rest-- She’s had a bad week.”  
There was no denying the hair on the back of his neck was raised, and he fought to keep his nails from digging into her protectively.

Jiyeon’s eyes widened and he backed up a step, raising his hands up slightly. “Okay, okay! Geez, Jisoo, no need to get so mad!”

He poofed into a cat and went out into the patio to curl up and sleep.

The kitchen was rather quiet after that besides Jihae using the knife briefly and the occasional munches from Jieun. The younger rabbit practically inhaled the apple in seconds. Now sleepy, Jieun blinked over at Jihae.

“Sleep well, Young Master.” Jihae turned and bowed slightly to the sleeping Heejung. “You as well, Milady.”

Two poofs later, and the remaining two rabbits hopped to go sleep outside with the others.

“So weird,” muttered Jisoo. He’d never really enjoyed the whole sleeping-outdoors thing. Maybe it was bad memories of times where he’d had no choice, or maybe it was because he didn’t like the way the others snored-- He’d always been content to sleep on the couch, and Heejung had never argued: He was always up before she was anyway.  
  
Exhaling carefully, he leaned back, sinking into the couch. He ought to figure out a way to get her to bed, but--  
Well, the cat hadn’t been wrong. She was… Well, not cute. That didn’t seem to fit her; it was too demure for the fire he knew was in there somewhere. She was certainly-- Something, across his lap and quietly asleep. And it was something he didn’t want to disturb, in any case.

Heejung curled up a little closer against him, completely out cold and drawn to Jisoo’s body-heat. Before, her face was completely blank, but now there was a small smile.

She was sleeping better than she had in _weeks._


End file.
